Having covered some of Europe with Zandvoort, Brno, Donington Park and Silverstone, we’re about to add some balance by visiting more of Simraceway‘s North American courses. Watkins Glen, New York first represented the eastern reaches of the United States so we’ve flown a virtual few thousand miles to see a fine track of the West: Sonoma Raceway.
Sears, Sonoma or…?
Still Sears Point in many minds despite not having carried the name for over a decade, Sonoma is a circuit that will be familiar to console and PC racers alike. In gaming terms, its highest profile appearance has been in Forza Motorsport 4 on the Xbox 360 (where it was the Infineon Raceway). It was an interesting track there that was conducive to competitive racing and the challenges of its turns and undulations have carried into Simraceway’s model. Minus a Forza-style close-fighting field of racers for this brief tour!
Once more, with feeling…
A quick verdict for the 2011 Lola Simraceway F3 at Sears Point Sonoma Raceway, then?
Simraceway: Turn 1 at Sonoma Raceway in the Lola F3
In the Formula 3 car, it felt like one of and perhaps the best track visited so far. Circuit Park Zandvoort remains a track that I’d like to see again but the feeling of an interface with the F3 and track drew me in. A large seam in the road surface or riding the car over the kerbs created a reaction in the wheel that built that often elusive feeling of attachment. Add that feedback to the high level of grip and correctable tyre slide and it’s easy to understand how Sonoma and the Formula 3 racing car created a good first impression above that of this free-to-play title’s track siblings.
A forthcoming video will make a second visit to Sonoma with Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution X.
Here’s a preview: chalk and cheese!
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